CivicScience Launches Groundbreaking Research on LGBTQ Americans

Press Release (ePRNews.com) - PITTSBURGH - Jun 21, 2017 - CivicScience, the next-generation polling and market intelligence company, today announced the launch of a first-of-its kind tracking survey aimed at studying America’s important and dynamic LGBTQ community. The research will combine daily tracking questions, ad hoc surveys, and CivicScience’s extensive respondent database to accurately measure the LGBTQ population; identify consumer, media, lifestyle, and wellness trends; and provide ongoing reports to corporate, non-profit, and civic leaders. Collaboration with organizations such as the LGBTQ Task Force were instrumental in this process, to guide the direction of the research, and ensure the quality of the data per those with deep knowledge of the population.

“Historically, LGBTQ Americans have been extremely difficult to study at scale or in any kind of practical, real-time manner,” said John Dick, CEO of CivicScience. “This has created a huge blind-spot for policymakers, public and charitable service providers, and advertisers who want to better understand and serve this strong and engaged community.”

Although the U.S. Census originally planned to introduce questions about sexual orientation and gender identity in the upcoming 2020 Census survey, the agency reversed course in March. Due to the relatively low incidence rate of LGBTQ people in the U.S. population and poor survey response rates, commercial market research data on these consumers are limited as well. The scale and anonymity of CivicScience’s survey methodology is uniquely equipped to overcome these systemic challenges.

“Advocates do their best work when they can approach decision-makers with both stories of the lived experience of their constituencies and data that reflect trends among a population,” said Meghan Maury, Policy Director of the National LGBTQ Task Force. “We are excited that CivicScience is working to ensure that we have the best information possible about the LGBTQ community.”

In recognition of Pride Month, CivicScience made its first wave of research, derived from a representative sample of over 21,000 U.S. adults, available to clients and non-profit partners, like the LGBTQ Task Force, in early June. The research found that 10.3% of respondents identify as either Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Non-Binary, or Queer. 2.3% of LGBTQ respondents identified with more than one category.

The CivicScience results suggest that the LGBTQ population in the U.S. may be much larger than many prevailing estimates. Analysts believe that CivicScience’s anonymous online polling methodology encourages more discrete response behavior, compared to a live phone interview, email, or survey panel, where respondents may be less open or forthcoming. Even still, 10.6% of CivicScience respondents answered, “I’d rather not say,” implying that the actual incidence rate of LGBTQ Americans may be even higher.

Beyond the topline survey results, CivicScience has begun to study LGBTQ respondents across thousands of attributes including demographics, media consumption, brand and celebrity preferences, technology usage, political and social attitudes, shopping and dining behavior, personal finance, health, and lifestyle. Following are examples from the preliminary findings.

Compared to the broader U.S. population, LGBTQ adults in the U.S. are:

– 48% more likely to live in an urban area– More likely to have graduated from college, but 60% more likely to be unemployed– More likely to have studied the social sciences, arts, or humanities– 61% more likely to be following healthcare trends “very closely”– 76% more likely to be “very concerned” about climate change– 2X more likely to use Snapchat– 2X more likely to choose an “expensive meal” over gifts or travel when splurging

Planned future research initiatives will delve deeply into health and wellness, preferences among over 250 major U.S. brands, media habits, shopping, and entertainment. CivicScience will also publish a bi-annual report on population growth and change, made available to clients, academic and civic partners, and the press.

“We are excited to commit to this research over the long-term,” said John Dick. “Given how suitable our methodology is for engaging the LGBTQ community, we have an opportunity and, more importantly, a social responsibility to fill this critical information gap.”

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